The First and Final Chapter
by TheHouseTrainedLlama
Summary: A quasirewrite of season 7. Focus is primarily on Willow and Kennedy, but not specifically. Starts with the potentials arrivals. Much more to come if you like it. :
1. Chapter 1

716-348-6824

Rules: There are no rules. I jest. Alright, um, basically its set beginning of Season 7. Tara existed, as well, she did. It's the beginning, well, an ep. or so in so all the hard stuff (i.e. exposition) is established and leaves me with the duty of just having fun. I do not own any of these fellows, I'm just trying to fight writer's block. Also, this is not just going to be about Willow and Kennedy expressedly. there will be a general plot.

1

Sunnydale was unusually quiet for a Saturday evening. The sun was hanging lazily in the sky, its rays pregnant and unrelenting as they pulled the orb from its perch. There was electricity in the air, but no activity riding it's current. The porches and sidewalks of Rebello drive were vacant, and beginning to cool in the absence of the sun. The light breeze blew the grass and sent the grasshoppers into a state of emergency as they chirped excitedly as they sought shelter. One grasshopper in specific had reason for alarm as it stood on the wooden steps to 1630.

It happened suddenly. Feet were pounding down all around him, some light and giddy, others heavy and dejected, but all coming at him. He could only stand frozen, certain his grasshopper-time had come. Then suddenly he was careening off the step into the protection of the cushy flowers in the garden.

"That is not a safe place for you, Mr. Grasshopper," the voice was friendly, and innocent. The young girl smiled at her accomplishment, "here two minutes and already saving lives," she said happily.

"Come along now, um…" Giles pulled at his glasses in embarrassment as he struggled to remember her name. He rather liked her, but for some reason the name didn't stick…

"Vi," another girl cut in shortly. "Her name is vi," she said again for emphasis.

"Right! Vi! Yes, so sorry about that," he muttered shyly, then shuffled them all inside. When he closed the door behind him, he saw that they were already wondering about, snooping and prying to get their own first peak at this or that. Giles leaned against the door and sighed and thick, heavy sigh of relief, removed his glasses and groaned as he rubbed his eyes.

Buffy looked around with a mixture of alarm and amusement as several young girls poured into the kitchen from the dining room, and with a nod or a shy "hello", dove at the cupboards and the fridge. She looked to Dawn, who looked to Spike who merely shrugged and lit his breakfast cigarette.

"Want to take that outside?" Buffy glared at him as Dawn grimaced when the smoke flooded her nose. Spike looked pointedly at Buffy, ignoring the miniature women surrounding him.

"Not especially, no," His voice was smooth, calmed by the cloud that hung lazily in his mouth. Her eyes thinned and she went to speak again, but before she could, he waved aggressively and walked out into the backyard. When that was settled, Buffy looked around.

"These must be the girls," Buffy cunningly observed.

"Not all of us, there are a few others out in the living room, and one or two upstairs I think," A friendly girl with red hair, and an accent thicker than Giles said. She smiled comfortingly and Buffy instinctively returned it.

"They had better not be in my room," Dawn warned. Giles walked in the room after a moment, and replacing his glasses on the bridge of his nose he smiled at Buffy.

Upstairs Rona headed straight into the bathroom, muttering about breakfast. Kennedy ignored her, and looked around as her curiosity began to take hold of her as it often did. Every door was open, beds were made, and everything seemed orderly. She sighed, thinking of how dull the apocalypse was going to be if everything was to be so structured. So far the rumors of the renegade badass slayer were greatly exaggerated.

Then things appeared to turn. She came to a closed door. She examined the door itself, and then looked to the other doors. Exactly the same. Same paint, same knobs, same frames. So if there was nothing different about its appearance, which must mean that there was something inside that was different.  
Her tongue went along her bottom lip and she looked around to see if anyone was around to tell her "no". Not that someone telling her "no" would stop her anyway, in fact it would make her want to even more. She smiled and placed a firm hand on the knob, which surprisingly felt warm underneath her palm. She felt her body go taut and a warm sensation wash over her and eliminate the chill in her palm. All of this happened in a blink of an eye and just as the door was about to click open she heard a firm, feminine voice call out from downstairs.

"Hey Slayer…ettes, come down here!" She commanded. Kennedy sighed, and looked to the door longingly. _I'll investigate later_, and with that she came back down the stairs, turned and found herself eye to eye with the slayer. Kennedy's heart thudded wildly, but her composure was steadfast and she smirked pretentiously.

"You know, most people call me Kennedy," Her voice, Buffy though, demanded respect. But she would have to earn it.

"Yeah, but everybody calls you 'brat'," Rona was coming down the stairs, and obviously displeased with the situation, her hand on her belly. There were some snickers from the other girls, and Giles himself could not suppress his smile. Kennedy didn't flinch.

"You might not want to go up there for a little while, Rona's been stinking up your bathroom with the twelve pancakes and six sausage patties she ate this morning," the smiles turned to grimaces, and a few uncomfortable coughs, but Kennedy had her intended affect and smiled.

"Right," Buffy said, slightly flabbergasted, "well…you're all here now. There are going to be more of you, but you're the first, and that carries a lot of responsibility. You'll learn the rules from me, and teach them to the arrivals as they …arrive," she looked around to see a lot of faces who were listening but not really paying attention. "Rule one: everything I say is important," this got some of them back to focus, "Rule 2: No going in the bedrooms without the permission of the people who live there. Rule 3: there are more rules to come later, but go ahead and help yourselves to whatever food you can find," she smiled, "One more thing before you go," she said as they dove towards the kitchen yet again. Reluctantly they turned back to her, "There are a few people you're going to need to familiarize yourself with. The first is Dawn, my little sister," Buffy said, and Dawn shifted, then waved.

"Hello," she said more fake than friendly. Buffy gave her a look, and then  
continued.

"The second is Xander, he's a tall guy, black hair…incredibly geeky—"

"And sarcastic," Giles added. "Right," Buffy said, "Pretty much you can't miss him. The next is Anya, she's a pain. There's Spike, he's in the backyard, he's a vampire, but he's not evil, so don't…well, try not to kill him." There was an awkward hush among the girls in the room, and Molly's eyes darted to the stairs.

"Who is she?" She asked, genuinely curious.

Kennedy turned her head, and her eyes went wide.

"Oh, that's Willow, she's a witch," Buffy said and smiled at her best friend. Willow looked among all of the girls, a welcoming smile spread wide across her beautiful face. She looked groggy, as if she'd been sleeping, but adorably so. Her eyes were wide, but in that way where one was adjusting to the light, and her body was relaxed and her hand hung lazily on the stair rail. Kennedy took her in slowly, so slowly that her body was aching for more answers before it even knew the questions, all pertaining to the body of the beautiful witch. _She doesn't look like a which, she's so…_

"Hot," Kennedy said aloud, and everyone looked to her. Willows emerald eyes looked to her and Kennedy felt her cheeks get flush and didn't miss a beat. "Your hair…I like it," she said with a confident smirk. Willow shifted under her gaze and looked to Kennedy's beautiful dark hair, and smiled slightly, then looked to Buffy for salvation.

"Well…Willow is here to help you guys too, just like the rest of us. So if you need anything, just find us and we'll help you," Buffy said with a friendly smile. Giles stepped forward.

"Another thing, girls," again, they groaned and shuffled uncomfortably in their places. "You're going to need to be trained to defend yourselves. It's going to be very rigorous, and probably not that enjoyable, but believe us that it is for your own good," He said, and the Watcher in him was shinning brighter than it had in a very long time. There was a gravity in the room that hadn't been there before. The girls' faces were no longer light and their eyes no longer full of wild curiosity. Instead their eyes were shifting and their faces heavy and severe.

Willow felt their sadness and all she could think of was the day she met Buffy, the way things had changed and evolved, and finally that this was the end of that evolution. These girls were just beginning their evolution, and for many of them the apocalypse would not be too far away from the genesis. She saw the fear in their eyes, but beyond it she saw the fight inside of them and she knew that they were strong. Though they didn't have the potent power of the slayer, they had the spirit, and that's what they needed. As she looked over them, the dark haired beauty cast her a wayward smile, and she smiled back a much more innocent smile. This girl was obviously a teenager, and teenagers have trouble distinguishing their "I want you" smile from their "Hello, let's be friends" smile and Willow didn't want to weird her out. By the time her train of thought pulled into the depot, whatever needed to be said was finished, and Buffy had turned to her.

"I need you to figure out some sort of sleeping arrangement for them, and while you're doing that, we'll look for something we can put in place, some sort of alarm system for when Bringer's come close to the house since they're bound to, what with all the people the want to stab coming here," Willow nodded and looked around.

"Sleeping, I got this…" She said lightheartedly and looked around at the girls trying to count heads. _I've never seen girls scurry about so much_, she thought to herself, and just decided to assume there were between twelve and fifteen of them. She then walked around in every room, looking in every closet, cupboard, trunk and storage space that could possibly harbor runaway pillows or blankets, and the final tally was twenty-seven blankets, eighteen pillows, and three sets of unopened sheets that held no specific importance to the task at hand, but still should be noted. Then, once resources had been inventoried, she went from room to room assessing space on the beds, and on the floors. She wrinkled her nose slightly at her calculations, then headed back downstairs to assess the living room and dining room.  
Kennedy was sitting in the living room, her feet inconsiderately resting on the coffee table, and her arms outstretched on the head of the couch. She was finishing her last (and largest) piece of sandwich when Willow walked in, concentrating on the list in her hand hard. Kennedy couldn't help but stare at every aspect of the witch's physique, and she smiled, her mind playing an enticing movie, adding a little more sensuous detail as her eyes scanned over more and more. She swallowed the last bit of sandwich with a gulp and Willow looked to her and smiled.

"Hi there," she said with a genuine tone of welcome. Kennedy couldn't help but to smile back.

"How's the sleeping arrangements coming along, Willow?" She asked, using the scarlet-haired witch's name for emphasis, and to see how it felt on her lips. The result pleased her and Kennedy smiled, with the same enticing curve that Willow had brushed off before.

"Oh, it's going alright," Willow said and took her eyes away from the smile quickly, looking around the room. "There should be room for about thirty or so…I think," she said, then added looked at her again. Her eyes were wide and displayed her nervousness. Kennedy saw a lot of raw emotion inside those eyes, a lot of clashing emotions. Kennedy thought back on the past, remembering those who had touched her lives that had inside them such destructive combinations.

"What's your name?" Her voice was shaky as she asked the question, but still held that inviting tone that made Kennedy's voice tingle in anticipation to answer.

"Name's Kennedy," she stood up, and after brushing her hands off on her jeans, held one out to Willow, who took it. When their skin touched, there was a charge on the air, magnetic almost, that was keeping their hands tight, and eager to know every detail about the other. Willow's hand pulled back a moment after the touch, and smiled at Kennedy who was trying to sort out the sensation.

"Well it's nice to meet you," there was an awkward pause, and both women looked down, thinking of what to say next.

"Welcome to Sunnydale," Willow said cheerfully after a moment, and then began casually, "Alright, so I've got Annabelle, Vi, and Rona in Buffy's room, Molly and yourself in Dawn's room—it's a little smaller—and then Eve and Colleen in my room. What do you think?" Willow asked tentatively when she saw Kennedy's brows wrinkle.

"Do you like snoring as loud as a garbage truck?" Kennedy asked with a hint of sarcasm. Willow puffed herself up.

"Well no, nobody does, I'd imagine," she was slightly defensive, but more flustered that defensive. Kennedy walked around the table and stood next to her, looking over her shoulder at the chart she had made. Kennedy's body pressed lightly against Willow's, and Will felt her body surge with a combination of energy and guilt. Tara's face flashed. Willow grew apprehensive with the presence of the girl but she didn't pull away. Another, strong, part of her was fighting. While one side of Willow was telling her to step away, far away, the other was saying 'turn to her'. Kennedy apparently didn't notice this inner turmoil.

"Well Eve snores pretty loud and Colleen gets really pissy about it," She said knowingly. Willow sighed.

"What's your suggestion then?"  
"Switch me and Eve, and I get dibs on the bed," A smile twitched on her face as she attempted to keep sober and businesslike. Willow took a moment and then looked to Kennedy.

"Who said anything about sleeping in bed with me?" Willow's voice was an unidentifiable combination of seriousness and playfulness. Kennedy didn't bother translating and as Willow looked over her shoulder at the beautiful brunette, Kennedy leaned closer. Her breath was hot and smelled like sweet cinnamon, which elicited a state of alert that her body had not felt in a while. As soon as she felt it, guilt swallowed her being, Willow felt her throat tighten and her body sting. She couldn't say anything, she just watched the young woman for a moment before pulling back, watching her for a moment, almost petrified, and headed upstairs.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey all! Thanks so much for the feedback (particularly the part where there was nothing along the lines of "you suck, go die"). The next 2 or 3 chapters will be all following the same timeline, but after that it's going to get _really_ exciting. Please review with what you love and what you hate! Thanks to everyone who helped me with the review junk. You guys are great. Sorry it took so long to update—college is a pain in the ass. Enjoy!

2

While Rebello Drive's silence was being shattered by a dozen or so young women, elsewhere there was a man with a casual swagger walking through one of the darker parts of town unaccompanied by anything but the cool breeze. He swaggered as if he owned the world, or the world owed him something much larger than itself.  
The alley he stood in cast dark shadows along his sturdy body and his black hair meshed into the darkness perfectly. His fair skin glowed and was reflected in a puddle at his feet. He stopped and took a moment to admire himself. He puffed up his arms and chest, and put a harsh frown on his face.  
"Oh yeah," he said in a deep voice, "I'm bad." Then he smiled wide. After a moment he retracted the grin and replaced it with a suave smirk.

"Boo!" The hard man let out a scream that reached a pitch most little girls can't reach. He jumped in the arm, and his arms crossed in front of his face quickly as he backed into the brick wall in an unbridled panic.

"What a wanker," Spike commented, chuckling to himself. He brought his hand up to his mouth and sucked in on the cigarette feeling it flood his dead lungs and as he laughed the smoke propelled forward. Xander stayed against the wall, and felt rage build. His bottom lip twitched slightly as his face twisted.

"Are you crazy?" Xander stood up and got close to the vampire's face. Spike looked at him as he would an ant.

"What are you doing out here anyway?" Spike asked changing the topic and watching Xander shift a little. He stumbled for the words for a moment.

"I was um…Looking for a…I was patrolling," He confessed after a moment. Spike smiled, his brown eyes wild with amusement. Then after a moment he sobered up.

"You shouldn't be out alone now, you know that," He paused, but not long enough for Xander to say anything. "The Future Slayers of America is having is first annual meeting at Buffy's, which means I'm not invited—not that I want to be," he added firmly, then took another lungful of poison. Xander's look of anger melted into excitement.

"The girls are here?" He was a little to enthusiastic. Spike lifted the corner of his lip in disgust.

"This gross, Harris, they're little girls," he said firmly.

"Oh, so you're telling _me_ what's right and wrong?" Xander demanded, either missing the point or pointedly ignoring it. "You? Well Spike, _killed anyone lately_?"  
"Sod off. Go become some vamps delicious triscuit cracker," Spike steamed and stalked off. Xander was left there, suddenly aware that he wasn't 'bad' and more importantly, that there was a bunch of young impressionable girls over at Buffy's. Before he knew it he was more or less prancing his way to Buffy's.

Buffy was in a word: exasperated. The potentials were very nice, but they were also curious, energetic, anxious and _extremely_ talkative. Buffy could only imagine that it was like having a dozen hers with more annoying voices and (as an average) bad hair. Over the course of a few hours she'd been asked about fifty thousand questions, and was sure she would not be able to speak in the morning. She snuck off as two of the girls began a heated argument over werewolves, a subject neither knew much about. Giles attempted to interrupt for the sake of information, but he was shushed by the other girls.  
Buffy had snuck out and into the kitchen just as the shush resonated through the room, and striking a particular nerve that alerted her to her need for coffee. Her blonde tendrils were pulled back in a hasty ponytail and she didn't bother turning on the lights in the kitchen. She'd been there seven years and hadn't changed the order of things. She made the same steps her mother had done before her; the reach for the can, the move to the pot, two scoops, measure, and the waiting that occurred thereafter. Moments like these had become few and far between, but they were the moments that cause her body to rock, and her throat to tense. An avalanche of memories, and pain would encase her and she could do nothing but wait for the feeling to melt away. It always did, but the sting was constant, the pang in her heart that served as the reminder that she'd never hug her mother again.

The only thing that was worse than experiencing the sensation itself was seeing it etched on Willow's face. She could only imagine the agony Willow felt every day. Sure she'd lost lovers before, but not like that. The finality in it made her stomach churn. What it had done to Willow, and what still resides in her friend as a result, was terrifying and created a nauseous feeling that made Buffy's taste buds tingle and swell in the back of her throat. It was a rare moment when Willow's eyes weren't plagued with the gravity and knowledge of the recent past. Buffy knew her friend would move on, that it would not necessarily be easy, but that she would find someone who would love her endlessly. Buffy was still scared for her friend, for the future of them all, but specifically for Willow. She had come a long way from the bumbling white-tights sophomore Buffy had met. There was darkness in Willow that even Buffy could never know. Buffy heard the shuffle of silent feet, and though her senses were alerted she remained calm.

"She'll be okay," Spike said from beside Buffy. He was looking out of the window thoughtfully. He had been watching her since she entered the kitchen and had instantly identified the look on her face. Buffy glanced at him, and then followed his eyes.

"I know," She looked down for a moment, then at Spike again, "I wish I could do something to hurry it up," the confession tingled on her lips. Spike swallowed and let his jaw tighten for a moment.

"Yeah, me too," he said and closed his eyes, not sure if the reaction he received would be one of anger, or understanding. Buffy blinked then looked to him, reaching indecisively until her hand touched his arm. Through the sheath of wool he felt the heat from her arm and felt his body begin to churn and wake. Their eyes met brown to blue, and Spike's jaw relaxed.

"I'm proud of you," her voice was thick with compassion. His eyes went wide, and he smiled.

"Yea?"

"Yeah," she said and smiled back unable to restrain it. For a moment neither said a word, they stood in the darkness, listening to brewing coffee, watching the moonlight reflect in the other's eyes.

It was the beep of the coffee maker that brought them back to reality. As she brought the pot out to pour herself a cup, she motioned it to Spike, who shook his hand no. He watched her, captivated, as she did the most menial of tasks with an elegant and arousing beauty. He felt his body contract and expand all at once, and he still marveled at the sensation. His observing glance eventually turned to one of longing, and he knew his eyes burned hot on her body. He tore his eyes away as she stirred the sugar and cream into a blend of flavor.

"By the way, I leaked that a bunch of young impressionable tidbits were here and Xander wet his pants and bolted in his direction," Spike said, and his eyes had that playful quality that had abandoned them as of late. Buffy smiled.

"Now we'll never get him to leave," she sipped her coffee, "which isn't a bad thing because there are a few things that are bound to need fixing soon," she was sly and cast Spike a glance that made him gulp.

"Right, well, I'll be in the basement if you need me," he said quickly and shuffled off towards the basement for a session of brooding comparable to his favorite soul-having vampire.

Buffy had only a moment of breathing time to herself before her silence was again interrupted. This time the strongest of the young potentials came into the kitchen. She stood just past the threshold, her legs planted firmly and her arms crossed. She was like a comic book hero, standing bold and beautiful before any problem to cross her path.

"I can help you," she said confidently. Buffy looked at her, and was interested in the girls offer.

"How can you help me exactly?"  
"I've been training since I was ten; most of them have never even seen a punching bag in person," she said and though there was strength, there was no arrogance. Well, maybe a pinch of arrogance. Buffy smiled at the girls quip and her eyes lightened up.

"For now I want to keep you as part of the ranks. If you pull ahead, then we'll talk," Buffy felt herself sound like a commander. No longer a warrior. Kennedy sighed.

"But I know I can help,"

"And I'm sure you can," Buffy cut her off, "but for now you're in the ranks," and with that the discussion was settled. Buffy observed Kennedy's unflinching stance, though her eyes were searching behind their beautiful browns in an attempt to work her thoughts into tangible speech. Buffy smirked, amused by her.

"So Willow," she said after a moment, still self-assured. Buffy's smile broadened.

"What about Willow?" Buffy had more protectiveness in her voice than was necessary, but it was out of a mixture of curiosity and genuine compassion for her friend. This girl was a potential slayer, yes, but she was also a stranger, and strangers who take interest in one of her friends usually were bad strangers.

Kennedy gave a casual shrug, but her hands went into her pockets instinctively. She looked down, her lips pouting in a thoughtful way. She knew she had to be careful, if she gave the slayer the wrong idea, she might have to hurt her. And beating the crap out of the slayer, she imagined, wasn't a good way to get on her friendly side. Assuming she had one.

"She seemed nice. I was just curious about um, her?" Kennedy inwardly sighed. '_Not the best you've come up with_' she thought bitterly. Buffy's heart almost flew through her throat as she tried to keep from laughing. She kept her calm but a smile spread her lips tenderly.

"Curious about what?" She again had a firm tone to her, but Kennedy could tell it was easing.

"Well, she seems nice…and lonely," she added after a moment. Buffy nodded, and then looked past Kennedy out towards the front door as it flew open. Xander came in, chest heaving, hair slicked with sweat and pasted to his forehead in a messy array. Kennedy turned and saw him looking around excitedly.

Almost in perfect synchronicity with his entrance, Willow came downstairs, holding in her hand an empty glass which she was bent on refilling. She stopped when she saw him, just at the bottom of the stairs, and smiled. He smiled back then looked into the living room.

"I um…I heard we have visitors," he said, and then smiled at Willow. She smiled wide and laughed.

It was her laugh that took Kennedy's attention. Willow turned and headed into the kitchen, Kennedy felt her body go tense and relax all at once. Her breath caught, and all she could do was watch intently as Willow's body rounded the curve on its path into the kitchen.

Her skin was soft and almost untouched by the sun, but without that tacit porcelain effect of lifelessness. Instead it made her brilliant hair and her vibrant eyes so beautiful that to pull away caused an uncomfortable churning in Kennedy's belly. So she didn't look away. She looked over every inch of Willow that she was willing to expose, which at the moment was a generous amount. Her shorts were the type that stated 'athletic' but were really for the nights when it's really hot and you need something to wear. Her top was a lighter shade of blue, and clung to her body as if each inch of her was desirable to cotton, and was caressed as such. Kennedy thought about the jacket she'd worn today and how _not_ warm she'd felt in it. She smiled, as did Buffy.

Willow's eyes settled on Kennedy's and she suddenly felt very self-conscious. She could tell that Kennedy's eyes had looked over her, and she could feel the electricity her body was emitting as a result. Willow's body was drawn to it, and the pangs of guilt and pain that accompanied the attraction were pushed aside by what she could only imagine was raw desire. She stopped a few feet from Kennedy, smiling at Buffy.

"Xander is here," Willow said with a smile, and Buffy motioned to Kennedy, whose back was to her. Willow's eyes went to Kennedy, who she felt had not taken her eyes off of her body since she'd walked in.

"Hi," Willow's attempt at casual friendliness was a valiant one. Buffy coughed a little.

"Well, I'm going to go make sure he isn't…touching any…one." She said and walked past the two, watching Kennedy carefully. Though Kennedy didn't look to Buffy, Buffy new that she'd seen the look. When Buffy left, Willow stood in front of Kennedy for only a split second before speeding by her to the fridge.

"So, you must feel relieved—getting her safe n' sound," Willow said lightly, and headed to the counter, watching her hands intently as they prepared to pour her a cup of juice. Kennedy headed over next to her, hands still firmly in her pockets.

"Uh huh," she let out as she admired the witch's legs in the stance they held. Willow glanced back at her, and seeing those gorgeous eyes watching her legs so intently her composure nearly broke. Unsure of what to do, her hand flitted across the counter in a grab for the juice carton and in her nervousness the cap went reeling to the ground, clicking as it bounced off the tiled floor then landing next to Willow.

"I've got it," Kennedy declared quickly and kneeled down to retrieve the purple piece of plastic. Instantly she knew that this was not the best idea. As she kneeled, she realized that she was so close to the beautifully flawless flesh she'd been captivated by at a distance that her body sent hot bolts of electricity surging through her body. Her eyes closed for a moment in an attempt to silently stomach the intensity. A feeling of that magnitude wasn't one she'd ever achieved without help. Letting out a heavy breath, she looked up through her eyelashes to see Willow watching her with a mixture of fear and excitement. Kennedy's eyes traveled back to her enticing calves, then to her sultry thighs, then as she stood up, her eyes made their way slowly, as they took in so much beauty so closely.

Willow's chest was thrusting quickly in an attempt to calm her heart. As a result her body was shaky and her hand gripped the edge of the counter to stay afloat amidst the sea of sensation. She saw Kennedy's body straighten and meet hers, and she saw the space between them being closed to a negative thereof. She felt their tongues swell at their meeting, and their breath, hot and damp, only add to the intensity of this first encounter.

Kennedy set the purple cap on the counter, and Willow was brought back to reality. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was hoping Kennedy would take it as embarrassment and she smiled thinly as she regained herself.

"Thank you," she said breathily and Kennedy nodded, keeping the suffocating space between them. She smiled and Willow did the same. There was a moment, eyes locked, when Kennedy was sure she saw something in the eyes of her living fantasy. Something, not sinister but angry; rage, not towards her, but directed inward at the witch herself.

"Are you okay?" Kennedy was surprised at how concerned she felt, and likewise sounded. Willow looked away then back to her and nodded.

"Yes, I'm fine," she managed unconvincingly. Kennedy opened her mouth to say something, but before she could form words, she heard shouting from the other room, and loud crashes coming from all over the house at once. She did the first thing her mind, she tossed both herself and Willow onto the floor, sheltering both of them from the splintering wood and shattering glass that appeared to be flying everywhere.

_In a time of chaos there is no time to act, only react._


End file.
